Manufacturers of glass or other transparent products, for example, window assemblies, often find it desirable to affix the manufacturer's logo or emblem to the product. Since both sides of a label mounted on any transparent medium are visible, it is also highly desirable that the label contain a duplicate logo or label removal instructions on the reverse side.
Known labels have met this need in one of two ways. The first is to print on both sides of the label and manually apply adhesive over the ink at the time of end use. However, this method is time consuming for the window manufacturer and it is difficult to control the application of the adhesive.
Another solution of the prior art has been to apply adhesive in the form of a double-sided transfer tape to the periphery of the label and away from the printed material. This type of label has the disadvantage that the label tends to bubble or wrinkle in the non-adhesive area when moist or wet, detracting from the overall aesthetics of the product to which the label is attached.
An alternative solution to the wrinkling problem is to use standard removable pressure sensitive label stock and print on the adhesive layer. This has two disadvantages. First, the print quality is marginal at best when the ink is applied directly to the adhesive side of the label stock. Second, an ink intensive logo may cover too much of the adhesive and cause unsuitable adhering qualities of the label.
Compounding the problem is the need for the purchaser or user to be able to easily remove the label. The adhesives used in the prior art, particularly those used with transfer tape, have a tendency to stick tightly to the glass when the label is removed. Users are often required to use a razor blade or scraper in combination with paint thinner or other solvent to remove the label, thus running the risk of scratching or etching the underlying material and damaging peripheral areas with solvent. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device and method for manufacturing a two-sided label that is easily removable yet which embodies good adhesive properties and high print quality.